4SS: 08 Familiar Territory
by Ta1u1a
Summary: 8 of 22 in the 4th Sister Series, alternate season 4. Ogres are taking witches' familiars. Price returns to Boston to testify against the Organization.


Familiar Territory  
>Eighth episode in the Fourth Sister Series<p>

* * *

><p>Piper walked into the bar, dressed much differently than she had been the first time. She was wearing blue jeans a baby blue t-shirt, a black suede jacket and black boots. She approached the bar, still not sure of what she would say. He saw her and shook his head, turning to serve a customer.<p>

"I think I've had my fill of angry husbands," Xander said. He approached her. "What do you want?"

"Um, well first, I want to apologize for the situation I put you in," Piper said nervously. "I can't explain what was going on with me that day, but normally I'm not like that."

Xander laughed. "Let me guess. Normally you're a loving and devoted wife that stays at home and fixes dinner and takes care of the kids."

"Well, not quite, but close enough," Piper replied. "I just wanted you to know how sorry I am."

"Fine. Apology accepted," he said. Xander started rinsing out some beer glasses. "Is that all?"

"Actually, no," Piper said. "I was really drunk that day, and I don't remember everything. I need to know how far we went."

"What does it matter?" he asked bitterly.

"It matters a lot," Piper said sharply. She leaned forward on the bar and spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm pregnant, and I remember us going into the stock room that afternoon before we met at P3. But I don't know what we did in the stock room. So, you tell me. Because you were sober."

He looked around to make sure nobody heard what she said. When he was confident that no one had heard, he turned back to her. "No, we didn't get that far. I didn't want anyone to come in and catch us." He pushed away from the bar and tossed his towel into a bucket of water. "Are we done?"

"Yes. Thank you," Piper said. She stepped back. "You have my word that you'll never see me in here again."

"Whatever," Xander said. He went to refill a customer's beer, and Piper left the bar. She approached the last remaining evidence of her wild day—the Harley Davidson motorcycle. She got on the motorcycle and just sat with the helmet in her hands. Tears of relief started to fall from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Then she put on the helmet and drove back to the Manor.

* * *

><p>Phoebe was in the kitchen pouring some dry cat food into Kit's bowl. Then she put some canned food in the bowl and stirred up. Finally she filled the water dish. She called for Kit. But instead of Kit, Piper entered the room carrying her motorcycle helmet.<p>

"Okay, so if I call your name will Kit show up?" Phoebe asked with a smirk.

"Huh?" Piper asked, confused.

Instead of explaining, Phoebe gestured toward the helmet. "Still haven't gotten rid of the Harley?"

"I haven't had time," Piper replied. She sat at the kitchen table, setting the helmet on the table. "I'm taking it back to the dealership tomorrow. I mean, can you just imagine me tooling around town on a motorcycle while I'm pregnant? Biker babe and her biker baby."

"Uh, speaking of that, did you talk to Xander?" Phoebe asked, changing the tone of the conversation.

"Yeah, I did, and we didn't go that far," Piper replied. "This baby is definitely Leo's."

Phoebe smiled. "That is so great. I can't believe it," she said. "I mean, less than a year ago, you two weren't even sure you would be able to get married. Now you're going to be parents."

"Scary thought, huh?" Piper asked with a smirk.

"It's a wonderful thought, Piper," Phoebe said, catching on to Piper's nervous humor. "You and Leo are going to be fabulous parents, and you're going to be the first to add another branch to the Warren family tree."

"Yeah, but still, I keep flashing back to an incident we had a little over a year ago with a little baby named Matthew," Piper said, thinking about her major baby anxiety when they had been forced to protect a baby boy from a vindictive ghost. "I'm afraid I'm going to freak out again."

"You're not going to freak out again, honey," Phoebe said, taking Piper's hand in her own. "Because this time it's not someone else's kid you're taking care of. This is going to be your little girl…or boy, and that whole maternal instinct thing is going to kick in."

"I hope you're right," Piper said.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Phoebe said excitedly. "This is so cool."

Piper smiled. "Yeah, well keep it down because I still have to tell Leo."

"Yeah, of course," Phoebe replied. She looked down and noticed Kit coming into the kitchen. "Well, it's about time." She took Kit's bowls and set them on the floor. As Kit approached to eat, Phoebe pet the cat. "I thought I was going to have to…" Her sentence was cut short as she was pulled into a premonition.

The images of ugly ogres flashed through her mind. They were in a cave and there was a fire. The viewpoint seemed low to the ground. Phoebe couldn't figure out whose eyes she was seeing this from. Then one of the ogres picked up whoever it was that Phoebe was sharing the viewpoint with. The ogre lifted the person over the fire and then dropped them in. Phoebe felt the burning and then came out of the premonition crying out in pain. Piper was by her side in a second.

"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper asked. "What did you see?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "But I'm going to find out."

* * *

><p>Price waited at the luggage carousel in Logan International Airport impatiently as luggage rotated around and around waiting for its owners. Finally she spotted her suitcase and picked it up. Now she just had to go and wait to meet her ride.<p>

Special Agent Dominick MacAllister was waiting for her at the Enterprise Rent-a-Car desk. He saw her and waved her over.

"Agent MacAllister," Price said, extending her hand to the tall, handsome man before her. "It's good to finally meet you in person. Do we have a car?"

"Yes, you've got a car," he replied. "We checked it out, even had our dogs go through it. It's clean."

"And where am I staying again?" she asked as MacAllister took her large suitcase and led her out to her rental car—a Chrysler Concorde. "Damn, spare no expense for a state's witness."

"Actually, I tried for the Mercedes, but it wasn't in our budget," he said with a smile. "As for where you're staying you'll find out when you get there. You will also have two guards at your door at all times. The wing of your floor of the hotel has been totally cleared out."

"I get a whole wing?" Price asked. MacAllister put her suitcase in the trunk and then headed for the driver's side.

"You get a room, but the wing will be deserted," MacAllister said. The two of them got in and he headed off for their destination. "The FBI has been after the Boston Organization for years, and the link to the senator is icing on the cake. The evidence you gave us is excellent, more than we've gotten through our investigations, but your testimony is key. If anything happens to you, our case is blown."

"No pressure," Price commented. "But let's say we get convictions all across the board, is there anything that will stop the Organization from utilizing connections elsewhere? I mean, do they have reach outside of Boston?"

"No, as far as we can tell, their operations don't leave the city," he replied. "If we can put away or at least disband the entire Organization, you'll be out of danger. You won't have to spend your life looking over your shoulder."

"That would be nice," Price said. She looked out the window and watched the scenery, thinking of how she always would have to look over her shoulder, whether it involved mortal demons or supernatural.

* * *

><p>Phoebe and Piper were in the attic looking through the Book of Shadows for anything that could explain Phoebe's premonition.<p>

"You know, I really don't like premonitions that involve me burning," she said.

"Are you sure it was you? Were you seeing through someone else's eyes?" Piper asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," she replied.

"Well, look for the ogres from your premonition," Piper suggested. "It's at least a place to start."

"Ogres, ogres. We really need to…" Phoebe said as she flipped the pages.

"…index this thing," Piper finished for her. "I know. We say that all the time."

"Hey, maybe that's a job we could give Price," Phoebe said with a smirk.

"Be nice," Piper said. Phoebe was somehow still having problems adjusting to Price's presence in the Manor. Piper hadn't thought it would take this long, but she knew that Phoebe had to move at her own pace. "Anything?"

"I'm not seeing anything," Phoebe commented. "You know, Kit was the last thing I touched before I had the premonition."

"Do you think Kit's our innocent?"

"Maybe," Phoebe said. "In the premonition my line of sight was really low to the ground. I could've been seeing through Kit's eyes."

"But why would ogres want to burn our cat?" Piper asked.

"Not just our cat," Phoebe said with a thoughtful look. "Our familiar. Maybe ogres is the wrong thing to look for. Maybe we should be looking up information about familiars."

"Okay, how about I take the Internet, and you keep up with the Book," Piper said. She headed out of the attic and Phoebe continued to search for an answer.

* * *

><p>"I'm Helen Gamble. I'll be trying this case for the state," the woman behind the desk said as she extended her hand to Price. They shook hands and then sat down. Price took in the woman's features. She was fairly thin, had dark hair and very intimidating blue eyes. She could see how this woman could be a successful attorney. "So, you're our star witness."<p>

"Yeah," Price said. Then she became curious. "I'm not the only witness, am I? Because at the airport, Agent MacAllister implied…"

"A couple of the lower ranks of the Organization have made deals with us for protection and immunity. But you do make a majority of our case," Helen said.

"Okay, I'm getting nervous," Price said. "What if my testimony and the testimony of those other guys isn't enough? What if nobody is prosecuted? I won't exactly be safe."

"Well, the offer of witness protection still stands. Although, I've been informed that you've declined protection a couple times," Helen said.

"Not entirely, but I'm not going to change my identity and move to the middle of nowhere," Price said. "I have responsibilities at home with my family. I can't just sever all ties."

"Then I'm afraid that I can't guarantee you anything," she replied. "But I can make you a promise that I won't let up. When I'm after something I go with guns blazing. I'll do everything I can to put the organization away."

"It's good to know there's at least one lawyer in Boston that's not on the Organization's side," Price commented.

"There is more than one," Helen said. "Unfortunately they're defense attorneys so they won't be much help here."

"Well, I stand corrected," Price said with a smirk. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to prepare you for your testimony," Helen said. "Taylor Reed is one of the best defense attorneys in the state, and it just so happens that he's on the Organization's side. He'll dig up things, anything he can find to discredit you or make you look like a fool on the stand. Is there anything that you haven't told us about yourself that could prove to the defense's advantage?"

Price thought for a moment. "Well, my angle to get into the Organization's inner circle was to become romantically involved with one of their grunts. His name was Bruce. He's dead now. He was sent on a hit after me at about the same time that I contacted Agent Santos. He was killed in a police shoot-out."

"When you say romantically, were you really romantically involved with him?"

"I believe he cared about me, but I was just using him," Price said.

"You had no feelings for him?"

"Not really," Price answered.

"Did you ever sleep with him?"

"Excuse me?" Price asked, a little disturbed by the question.

"Did you ever sleep with him?" Price didn't answer. "Look, the defense is very likely to ask these same questions. I need to know what to expect, and so do you. Did you ever sleep with Bruce?"

"Once," Price said. She felt ashamed that she had gone so far for her story. She had felt that way about it from the day she did it. "It was shortly before I broke it off and left the Organization."

"Okay, and is that all that the defense could use against you? There's nothing else?" Helen asked.

"Not that I can think of," Price said, knowing that the Organization couldn't possibly know about her witch status.

"Okay," Helen said. She stood and walked around the desk. "We'll meet at nine tomorrow morning before trial to review your testimony. We get to go first. I'll pull up the two Organization guys that I've got first, and then you'll testify."

"Okay," Price said. She stood and shook Helen's hand. As she left the office with Agent MacAllister she had this faint sense of worry in her heart, and it wasn't coming from her.

* * *

><p>"Leo! Leo!" Piper called out. But she was getting no response.<p>

"Piper, I told you that Leo doesn't need to come. He's probably with another charge or something. Let the man do his job," Phoebe said. She was taking some gauze out of the first aid kit and attempting to clean a cut on her arm.

"This is his job. You're hurt, by demons," Piper said. "He should be able to sense that."

"He can probably sense that it's just a scratch," Phoebe said. "He doesn't need to come here. We've got this under control."

"Yeah, sure. We've got it under control. That's why the ogres got Kit, and as it turns out several other familiars," Piper said. She turned to the two women sitting on the couch. They were witches that they had encountered during their research, Liz and Coral. "Do you two know of any other witches whose familiars have been taken?"

"I only know of Luka," Liz said, speaking of her Siberian Husky.

"I believe my friend, Stephen, had his familiar taken a couple days ago," Coral said. Her black and white cat, Max, had been taken. "Stephen's familiar is a domesticated wolf he calls Storm."

"Why do these ogres want our familiars?" Liz asked.

"According to our research, they sacrifice familiars to gain more power," Phoebe explained.

"The more powerful the witch of a particular familiar, the more power the ogres get," Piper continued.

"But they don't get our powers, do they?" Coral asked.

"No, just the equivalent of our powers, I think," Phoebe replied. "All we have to do is find the ogres and we should be able to take care of them."

"I can freeze them and then blow them up," Piper said.

"Do you know how many ogres there are?" Coral sked.

"Not exactly," Piper said. The phone rang then. "Hey, Pheebs, I'll get that. How about you go scry for the ogres?"

Phoebe nodded her head, and Piper went to answer the phone.

"Hey, Piper, it's Price."

"So how are things over on the east coast?" Piper asked.

"Okay, I guess. I'm a little nervous," Price replied.

"Oh, so that's what I was feeling," Piper said with a small giggle.

"Yeah, speaking of feeling things," Price began. "I feel someone worrying, and it's not me. Is there anything going on there that I should know about?"

"No, not really," Piper lied.

"Come on, I know there's gotta be something going on," Price said.

"It's nothing we can't handle on our own," Piper said. "Look, we told you we'd call you if anything serious came up."

"But…"

"No buts. You've got enough going on for yourself," Piper said. "We can handle this."

"You're sure?" Price asked.

"Positive."

"Okay," Price gave in. "But if it gets out of hand…"

"We'll send Leo to get you," Piper said, not letting on that they hadn't been able to get a hold of Leo.

"Okay, well, I'll hold you to that," Price said.

"Okay," Piper said. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, and good luck with whatever you guys are doing," Price said. They said their goodbyes and hung up, Piper breathing a sigh of relief that she had dodged that bullet. The last thing she wanted was for Price to be worried about them.

* * *

><p>Price had this nagging feeling that Piper wasn't being totally honest with her, but she felt awkward pushing the issue any further. She'd only been a part of this familiar for less than a year. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was 9 at night. Still early for this night owl. But what was she going to do? She couldn't just go out or anything. She was under armed guard, and she knew it would be dangerous for her to go out before she testified the next day. She laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, contemplating her options. She thought about maybe calling Leo to keep her company, but she didn't want to waste his time like that. Plus she wasn't sure if the FBI had put cameras inside her room or anywhere that could catch Leo orbing in.<p>

She finally decided to see if she could get some room service and a movie off pay-per-view. She poked her head out the door and looked for the guard. She didn't see him so she guessed he was doing his rounds of the floor. She left the door open a crack so she could get back in and then walked down the hallway in search of the guard. She rounded the corner and a moment later she felt a tap on her shoulder. She cried out and spun around, ready to TK the person into the wall. But she managed to restrain herself when she saw it was the guard.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked. Price smiled at her overreaction.

"Um, I was just wondering if it would be alright for me to order some room service and a movie. I'm getting kind of bored in there," Price said as the two of them started walking back to her room. The guard spoke over his radio and then nodded his head.

"Agent MacAllister said that's fine," the guard said. He smiled. "Just don't order too much."

Price nodded her head and went back into her room, not even noticing that the door was open wider than she had left it.

* * *

><p>A blue screen left a faint glow in Price's hotel room. She had ordered The Matrix and then Along Came A Spider, but she fell asleep during the second movie. The room was completely silent except for her even breathing.<p>

A squeaking hinge broke the stillness of the room. Slowly the bathroom door opened and the intruder dressed in black crept into the bedroom area. He quietly screwed the silencer onto the barrel of his gun and moved closer to the bed, preparing to aim at the back of the head of Price whose back was to him. A floorboard creaked and he paused, waiting to see if Price had heard it. He couldn't see that her eyes were open or that she could see his reflection in the window on the other side of the room. He put his gun in position and was about to fire when Price rolled onto her back and swept her arm toward him, throwing him back into the wall. He dropped his gun and fell into a slumped position. He slowly recovered from his shock and went after his gun. Price moved the gun across the floor, and the intruder looked up at her, confused.

Then she TKed him again into the wall. This time the guard heard the commotion and rushed into the room with his gun drawn. The intruder was unconscious on the floor. The guard looked from Price and then to the unconscious man.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He got in here somehow. He was hiding in the bathroom," she replied.

The guard got on his radio and started talking with someone, using all kinds of official code. Price didn't have a clue what he was talking about. She was still recovering from the shock of the encounter she had just had. For the second time in less than a couple months she had almost been killed by a member of the Organization.

* * *

><p>"Two down, thirty to go," Piper said sarcastically. They had found the ogres in a cave outside of the city. It ended up that Piper's freezing power wouldn't work on the ogres in their own territory. Their plan was for Piper and Phoebe to take on all the ogres while Coral, Stephen and Liz tried to free all the familiars. There were a lot of familiars there whose witches the sisters hadn't come in contact with. They just hope the animals could find their own way home.<p>

"Okay, on three?" Phoebe said. The two of them had ducked behind a rock. The others were waiting for a signal to go for the familiars.

"One," Piper said.

"Two," Phoebe continued.

"Three!" Piper shouted. She jumped up from behind the rock and thrust out her hands, blowing up several of the ogres, but not all of them. The other three witches headed for the animals. An ogre came after them, but Stephen and Coral TKed it into the cave wall. They started setting the animals free. A hawk flew quickly out of the cave. Stephen's wolf, Coral's cat and Liz's dog remained with them. Kit started to run across the cave toward Piper and Phoebe. The rest of the various animals rushed out as fast as they could.

Piper blew up a couple more ogres while Phoebe fought hand-to-hand with a couple. Stephen TKed another ogre and Storm attacked an ogre, snarling and growling. Max hissed while Coral started TKing ogres away from them. Luka attacked an ogre that went after Liz.

Piper was almost finished blowing up ogres and she was getting kind of tired. She turned and saw the only few left were the ones that Storm, Luka and Coral were fighting. She yelled for them to back off some. Liz and Stephen got their familiars to back off. Piper thrust her hands out and blew up two of the three. The last one turned and glared at her.

"Crap," Piper said in a exhausted tone. "I'm out of juice."

Before anyone could react, the last ogre howled and flew at Piper. It clawed at her. Phoebe grabbed the ogre and pulled it off, but it turned and started clawing at her. She fell and hit her head, being stunned long enough for the ogre to get some good slashes in. Finally Storm pounced on the ogre and went for the juggular. Then Stephen called Storm off and TKed the ogre into the wall. Then Coral dropped a large boulder on the ogre with her power, killing it.

Piper lightly touched a scratch on her shoulder, but it wasn't that deep so she quickly moved to Phoebe. The blood was quickly soaking Phoebe's shirt. Phoebe was in shock and pain, staring blankly at the ceiling of the cave.

"Leo! Leo!" Piper called. Leo didn't come. "Leo!" she screamed in desperation.

"Your whitelighter obviously isn't coming," Stephen said. He removed his jacket and laid it over Phoebe. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her out to Piper's Jeep. "We need to get her to the hospital."

Piper took out the keys and sped away once everyone, including the animals, was in the car.

* * *

><p>"So, you should be safe here for the next few hours," Agent MacAllister said.<p>

"Are you sure?" Price asked, looking around the office the two of them were in. There was a desk, a couple of chairs and a couch. The walls were lined with bookshelves holding legal volumes. Agent MacAllister said it was a judge's office.

"Almost positive. We've got guards on every floor of the building doing rounds and two guards will be posted at the office door at all times," MacAllister assured her. "Rest assured, we'll do everything we can to keep you safe."

Price nodded her head and sat down on the couch. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Agent MacAllister left the office, and before she knew it she was being shaken awake. She looked up to see Agent MacAllister gently shaking her shoulder. He smiled.

"The trial's starting in a couple hours," he said. "I thought you might want to freshen up and get some breakfast."

"Thanks," Price said. "Um, I need to make a phone call first." She had just now noticed that the worry she had felt coming from Piper and Phoebe the night before had strengthened and it was coming from only one of the two. She pulled out her cell phone and Agent MacAllister gave her some privacy.

There was no answer at the Manor so she tried Piper's cell phone. All she needed to hear was Piper's tone to know that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Piper, what's happened?" Price asked immediately.

"We were fighting these ogres that were taking witches' familiars and killing them to gain power," Piper explained. "I couldn't manage to blow up the last ogre and it attacked her. It slashed her up badly."

"But you called Leo, right? He should be able to heal her," Price said.

"That's the thing. I can't get a hold of Leo," Piper said. "I've called him almost non-stop since it happened, and he's not coming. I don't understand it. He would know if Phoebe was hurt, and he would come."

"Is Phoebe going to be okay?" Price asked. She couldn't believe how often injuries occurred in this family. It definitely didn't help her stress levels.

"I don't know," Piper said. Her voice was strained with worry and fear. "I mean, it looked really bad, but the doctors haven't said anything. I don't know what to think."

"Should I come home?" Price asked.

"No," Piper said. "The last thing Phoebe would want is for you not to have your shot at putting away the Organization, especially after everything they've put all of us through."

"Are you sure?" Price asked. "What if…?"

"No," Piper said, interrupting Price's sentence because she knew exactly what she would say. "That is not going to happen. I promise I will call you when I hear something."

"Okay," Price said. She couldn't help but worry about her sisters. She was all the way across the country, and if anything happened to them…no she wouldn't think like that. They would be fine. She didn't find this family only to have them taken away so soon.

"All right, well I better go," Piper said. "I still have to track down Cole. And I need to figure out where the hell Leo is." Price noted that there was no agitation in her last comment, only worry. Piper was worried that something had happened to Leo.

"Okay, call me as soon as you hear anything," Price said.

"I will. Bye," she said. Price shut off her cell phone and released a sigh. Phoebe was going to be okay. She just had to keep telling herself that.

* * *

><p>Cole rushed into the emergency waiting area to find Piper pacing back and forth. He recognized her nervous habit of not being able to sit still when she was really worried.<p>

"Piper," he said. She paused her pacing for a moment and then continued.

"I don't know anything yet," she said. She continued to pace. "And Leo couldn't heal her because we couldn't get a hold of him. And I don't know what the hell that means. I mean, he comes when it's important. Something must be wrong and…"

Cole reached forward and grabbed Piper by the shoulders, stopping her pacing and her rant. "Leo is fine. Phoebe will be fine. Take a breath."

Piper closed her eyes and knew Cole was right. She had to calm down and get grip on herself. She was starting to panic and she couldn't let that happen. She had to be the strong one. She decided to sit because she knew that pacing wouldn't keep her calm.

"So you defeated the ogres, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we did," Piper said. "Not fast enough, though." She was not only worried, but reeling with guilt. If only she had managed to blow up that last ogre…

A doctor came in and pulled her out of her thoughts. She and Cole stood waiting for him to tell them anything.

"Well, the cuts looked a lot worse than they were," he said. "We cleaned and dressed them, and we gave her a tetanus shot. She can go home once she signs some paperwork."

Piper released a breath. "Thank you, doctor." One problem down. Now she just needed to figure out where Leo was.

* * *

><p>"Miss Halliwell…or is it Matthews?" Taylor Reed asked. He paced in front of the witness stand.<p>

"I legally changed my name to Paige Matthews when I left Boston," Price said. "My given name was Price Halliwell."

"So which do you go by now?" he asked.

"I was planning on changing it back to Price," she replied.

"And why did you change your name and move to San Francisco?" Reed asked.

"To protect myself."

"Yet you've denied witness protection now," he said.

"Objection, relevance," Helen said.

"Sustained," Judge Walker said.

Reed paused and then rethought his approach. "How did you obtain all of your information regarding my client and his business?"

"I became involved undercover in the Organization, and had tape recorders and such hidden on me at certain times," Price explained.

"Now, when you say undercover, you mean under the covers," Reed said.

"Objection!" Helen called, standing from her chair.

"Sustained," Judge Walker said. "Mr. Reed, I suggest you watch yourself."

"I'm sorry your honor," he apologized. "Now, Miss Halliwell, how far exactly did you go in order to get in with my client's affairs?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did you have to do to obtain all this supposed evidence?"

"I did what was necessary," Price said.

"So apparently it is necessary for a journalist to sleep with someone in order to get…"

"Objection!" Helen said again.

"I'll allow this, but I warn you Mr. Reed not to supply the answers here," Judge Walker said.

"Thank you your honor," Reed said. "Now, Miss Halliwell, did you sleep with a man to get information against my client? And I remind you that you're under oath."

Price sighed. "I did sleep with a member of the Organization."

"And this alleged member, did you have feelings for him?"

"Objection."

"Over-ruled."

"No, I didn't have feelings for him," Price answered. She knew where this was going. Helen had told her that Reed would attack her with anything he could find.

"Pretty ruthless," he said. "After you left Boston, did you ever see this man again?"

"About a month ago. He tried to kill me. He was put out on a hit."

"How can you be sure he was sent on a hit?"

"He worked for the Organization, and they found out I had information against them," Price replied. "Do the math."

"Isn't it possible that you skipping town after sleeping with the guy may have sent him over the edge?" Reed asked.

"Objection," Helen said. She was getting tired of saying that.

"Over-ruled, but Mr. Reed…"

"Yes, your honor, I understand," Reed interrupted.

"As flattering as you make it sound," Price said in response to the question. "I don't think I have that kind of effect on a man."

Reed laughed. "So, all your information came through interactions with this man, who now happens to be dead?"

"Not all. Some of the information came from him," Price said.

"And you don't think he may have lied to you just to get you in the sack," Reed suggested.

"No," Price said, slightly on the defensive. "He didn't know I was a journalist."

"Or so you think," Reed said. "No further questions."

"You may step down, Miss Halliwell," Judge Walker said. Price walked past Helen, past the short separator and sat in a chair behind the prosecution table. Helen turned and whispered to her.

"I tried," she said. Price nodded her head and offered a brave smile. She wasn't going to let Reed get to her.

* * *

><p>The next day after the closing arguments had been given, Price had lunch with agents Santos and MacAllister and with Helen Gamble.<p>

"So, honest opinion, Miss Gamble," Price said before she took a bite of salad. "Did you get a conviction?"

"Honest opinion," Helen said with a sigh. "Not on all counts. He's a senator, and I wasn't able to get all the jurors that voted for him thrown out. There's always loyalties and in a case like this it's hard to get impartial jurors. And honestly, I didn't get probable cause on all counts either."

"So, translate for me," Price said, shooting glances at MacAllister and Santos, who smiled.

"Translation, I doubt the murder in the first will stick. None of the witnesses saw him personally kill anybody, and none of the evidence suggests it either," Helen said. "As for conspiracy, there is still a possibility. I've made probable cause there. The felony charges are an even more likely possibility."

"Well, I guess we should be happy with anything," Agent Santos said. "Exposing a senator in organized crime. Even if he doesn't serve time, the media has already begun to crucify him."

"Well, whether the media crucifies him or not, I don't care," Price began. "Just as long as he gets put away." She turned to Helen. "So, you say murder in the first is probably out, but if he gets convicted of conspiracy, how long could he get put away?"

"Well, the minimum for conspiracy is 25 years," Helen said. "You collected concrete evidence that he orchestrated six of the murders allegedly committed by members of the Organization. Compound that with the other felony charges that will be brought forth in a separate trial and the fact that Judge Walker is never stingy with the sentencing, prior to appeals he'll get the equivalent of life."

"Prior to appeals?" Price asked.

"Appeals are inevitable, especially with wealthy criminals," Helen said.

"So, he could get out at any time," MacAllister finished.

"But we've got probable cause," Helen said. "There's always a possiblity that an appeal will go through, but in this case I doubt it."

"I guess I can live with that," Price said. She sighed still feeling worry coming from one of her sisters. Piper had told her that she would call when she knew something about Phoebe. Price had heard nothing. She didn't know what to think.

* * *

><p>"Phoebe's okay," Piper said in response to Price's agitated call. "The cuts weren't as bad as they looked."<p>

"Then why are you still worried?" Price asked. She heard Piper sigh over the phone. "Come on, Piper, the prosecutor said jury deliberation has taken days on trials like this before. I've got plenty of time to find out what's wrong."

"I can't get a hold of Leo," Piper said. "We've been calling him for two days, and he hasn't shown up. He's never just been gone without answering like this. I guess sometimes he's been out of range, but this has never happened before."

"Maybe he is out of range," Price said. "The last time you saw him, did he tell you where he was going?"

"No, it was just the usual 'the Elders were calling' excuse," Piper said. "I don't know where he went or why exactly they called him."

"Hang on a sec. I'll try calling him. Maybe he's in range for me," Price said. She put the phone down and called Leo several times. She started to get frustrated. "Yo! Leo! It's important! Emergency stuff here!" Nothing. She picked up the phone again.

"He's not there," Piper said before Price could say a word.

"Look, he's probably just in another country or something," Price said. "Becca once told me that there's witches all over the world, and that not all of her charges are in the US."

Piper sighed. "You're right. I'm probably just over-reacting."

"Hey, just take it easy, and tell Phoebe I'm glad she's okay," Price said.

"Okay. Bye," Piper said. The two of them hung up and Price sat on her bed, not sure what to worry about first—her brother-in-law or the trial.

* * *

><p>Price sat behind Helen in the courtroom, watching the jury shuffle to their seats.<p>

"The defendant will rise," Judge Walker said. The senator and his lawyers stood. "Foreman, has the jury reached its verdict?"

"We have, your honor," the foreman said. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands.

"What say you?"

"For the six counts of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Charles Stone, not guilty," the foreman stated. Price wasn't entirely disappointed. Helen had warned her about that. "For the six counts for conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree we find the defendant, Charles Stone…" The pause seemed like an eternity for page. "…guilty."

The court erupted with murmurs and flashbulbs. Price was surprised. She didn't know why she was surprised, but she was.

"Jurors, you are dismissed with the thanks of the court," Judge Walker said. "Sentencing is set for Monday at 3 p.m. Court is adjourned."

Price caught Senator Stone glaring at her, but she tried to ignore it as Helen turned to her. They shook hands. "You did well, Price. The commonwealth thanks you." She paused and said in a quieter tone. "And I thank you."

Price nodded her head, and she headed out of the courtroom with Helen. The flashbulbs kept going off in her face and reporters were trying to get her to comment. Helen paused near the top of the stairs.

"I've gotta say something to the media," Helen said. "You're free to go home."

"Thank you, Miss Gamble," Price said.

"Call me Helen," she said with a smirk. She turned back to the media as Price and Agent MacAllister quickly made their way out of the courthouse.

* * *

><p>"It's been three days, Price," Piper said once Price had finally arrived home. "Something is wrong here. He would have at least warned me if he was going away for a long time. He wouldn't have just gone without any notice of how long it would be."<p>

"Okay, it's time to try a different tactic," Price said. "Be—"

Before she could finish what she meant to say, blue lights appeared before them. But the lights didn't turn into Leo. It was Becca.

"Okay, are you psychic?" Price asked.

"No, but I had a pretty good idea that you would call me eventually," Becca said. "You three aren't much for being kept in the dark."

"Kept in the dark? What do you mean?" Phoebe asked from her seat next to Cole on the couch. She tried not to move because any movement caused her pain.

"I'm not supposed to be telling you this. I'm not even supposed to be here," Becca said. "Some whitelighters are missing."

"Missing? How?" Piper asked.

"We don't know. The Elders assembled a team to investigate it. This is all supposed to be confidential. None of us are supposed to tell our charges or the charges of the missing whitelighters," Becca explained. "And I think you've already put two and two together."

"Leo's one of the missing 'lighters," Price said.

"What is this investigative team doing about this?" Piper asked. Her voice held tones of agitation and worry. "What have you found?"

"Nothing. Which is why I'm breaking the rules and telling you," Becca said. "We're not getting anywhere, and I knew that if anybody could find the missing 'lighters it was you three."

"Why don't the Elders want anyone to know?" Cole asked.

"They were afraid telling anyone would incite panic," Becca explained. "Look, I have to go before they realize I'm here. I'll try to come back to tell you more."

Price nodded her head and Becca orbed out. All eyes turned to Piper. She avoided eye contact with everyone as she slowly sat down and leaned her elbows on her thighs. To the average person, like Cole, one could think Piper was either panicking or thinking intensely. Price and Phoebe both knew which was happening.

"Piper," Phoebe said, trying to get her older sister to talk. Piper looked up. It was obvious that she was fighting to hold back tears.

"Don't tell me everything is going to be all right," Piper said in a low tone. Her voice wavered when she spoke.

"Why not? Isn't that what we're supposed to think?" Price asked.

"I don't know. But all I'm thinking about right now is that the father of my child is missing, and nobody knows where he is. I don't want my baby to grow up without a father like we did."

Piper stood and walked out of the room. Price was about to follow her when she turned back to Phoebe. "She's pregnant?"

THE END


End file.
